Dua Associates managing partner Ranji Dua has confirmed that senior disputes partner Shiraz Patodia and her team would remain at the firm, less than a month after she had given notice to join Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (SAM) in Delhi, as first reported by Legally India on 1 July.
Dua also formally confirmed that former Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas principal associate Kunal Mehra had joined Dua as a partner on 2 July in the firm’s Gurgaon office, specialising in corporate and M&A, as reported last month.
Patodia commented: “On account of significant client conflicts that emerged during our discussion last week we came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be possible for us to go ahead at this point of time.”
Dua told Legally India in an email today:
We respect and welcome Shiraz and her team’s decision to continue with the firm.
It reinforces the sound basis of the firm’s value system and encouraging its professionals to grow their respective practices in an atmosphere of responsible freedom.
Given the current disruptions in the legal market we consider it an opportunity to consolidate and grow with carefully chosen likeminded professionals.
She and her team, which amongst others includes junior partners Priyanka Sharma Goswami and Anusuya Sadhu Sinha, and manager Saloni Tuteja and senior associate Amrita Sharma, were to join Shardul Amarchand, as confirmed by managing partner Pallavi Shroff on 5 June in an email.
Dua told Legally India on 9 June that Patodia had on 5 June internally announced she would leave but that she would have to serve out her notice period and other contractual obligations.
We have reached out to Pallavi Shroff for comment.
Comments
2. Dua has survived till now only because of Ranji and shall continue to be in the reckoning and retain the talent that is left till the time he is at the helm;
3. Kunal's move is more of a swap so dont read too much into it;
4. Law firms need to hold back their horses in making announcements, the news of her resignstion was on net within an hour of her actually resigning;
5. The supersenior lawyer that she is, she ended it with "at this point of time" - keepijg her options open
6. I deserve a cookie to spend 5 mns of my Friday evening on posting the first comme t on this story ;)
Several weeks later, the client and partner and team stay at Dua.
That alone, seems like Dua Associates managed to foil a raid, for whatever reason.
Also, after Patodia had already internally announced she would be staying at Duas ( http://www.legallyindia.com/Law-firms/shardul-amarchand-hire-shiraz-patodia-to-stay-at-duas ), Pallavi Shroff had denied that Patodia was not joining anymore.
Only a little while before, Ranji Dua had insisted on Patodia serving out her notice period, etc.
Coupled with some other off-record information we have but that we did not publish, it is clear to me that there is more to this than just 'conflict', though that may have been one ultimate contributing factor or the official reason given.
Anyway, we would do well to assume that Ranji Dua did not just sit on his hands and do nothing while the poaching attempt was going on...
Maybe will do a more detailed article about this one of these days if it is interesting :)
On a serious note spare a thought for the juniors. One moment they are told, we are joining SAM..... the next they are told. oh no we stay.